4000-Year-Old Mysterious Megalithic Tomb Discovered in the Golan

A monumental megalithic tomb with unique rock carvings in its ceiling has been discovered in the Golan Heights. The mysterious multi-chambered tomb is the sign of early farmers that left their mark all over the fertile region, archaeologists say. In fact, the Bronze Age tomb, built some 4000 years ago, is one of the largest discovered in the Middle East and the basalt capstone covering it, which has rock art engraved on it, weighs about 50 tons.

The 4,000-year-old dolmen. Photographic credit: Gonen Sharon, Tel Hai College

The engraved shapes depict a straight line going to the center of an arc. About fifteen such engravings were documented on the ceiling of the dolmen, spread out in a kind of arc along the ceiling. No parallels exist for these shapes in the engraved rock drawings of the Middle East, and their significance remains a mystery,” says Uri Berger of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The engravings that were exposed on the inside of the built chamber. Photographic credit: Gonen Sharon, Tel Hai College.

The tomb was covered with an imposing heap of stones and earth, a so-called tumulus, some 20 meters in diameter.